Day 61; TKAM test and VC prep

Period 1/2: To Kill a Mockingbird Test
Period 3: PERIOD 3 (Social Studies 20 Prep)
Activity One: The Context

  1. Begin by reading the following article about the KONY 2012 Campaign: “We Got Trouble – by Visible Children”
  2. Then, read the definition of a child soldier: According to the Paris Principles adopted by the United Nations in 2007, a child soldier is: any person below 18 years of age who is or who has been recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers, spies or for sexual purposes. It does not only refer to a child who is taking or has taken a direct part in hostilities.”
  3. What actions the global community might take in order to reduce the forced recruitment of children. Note your answers on  a blog post. Refer back to as you explore the various ways in which the international community is and is not addressing the plight of child soldiers.
  4. Next, have students split into four groups, and be given ten minutes to read one of the following articles:
    1. DR Congo Warlord Thomas Lubanga Sentenced to 14 Years (Syd/Arnel/Justine)
    2. Taylor Sierra Leone War Crimes Trial Verdict Welcomed’ (Mike/Zach/Dee) (Evan/Mason/Matt)
    3. Consigning Child Soldiers to an Ugly Chapter in History (Bryn/Justin/Dez)
    4. Child Soldiers: Roméo Dallaire’s Wrenching Return to Africa’s ‘Gang Warfare’ (Cali/Shauna/Anna)
  5. Once the groups have finished their articles you will give a summary of their findings to the class. Students should then discuss what the articles reveal about the political complexities implicit in tackling the issue of child soldiers. What did they agree with in the articles? What did they disagree with? What made them uncomfortable?

    ANSWER the following questions below:

    1. How and why are child soldiers recruited?
    2. What physical abuses do they face?
    3. What emotional hardships are related to being a child soldier?
    4. Has the government of the country under study done anything to combat the recruitment of child soldiers?
    5. What interventions have been prescribed by Human Rights Watch? What will be required of local and international actors for these interventions to be effective?

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